At first, I thought I'd use a postcard as the main focus for the cover. I liked the idea but since I wanted my book to reflect our travels through France and not just a city or town, using a postcard didn't work. I began going through all the mementos I had accumulated and kept in a plastic case. I realized using some of these keepsakes would be more meaningful to me than just using a photo. I picked a train ticket, a movie ticket, a bookmark I bought after seeing Keith Haring's work and the entrance ticket to the Basilique de Saint-Denis. They all came together quite naturally...

The only thing that was not picked up during the trip is the silver doily. I adhered it using a paint brush and this PVA glue bought at Paper Source.
La seule chose qui ne faisait pas partie du voyage est ce naperon argenté. Je l'ai collé avec cet adhésif et un pinceau...

Monday, April 29, 2013

Hello dear Friends! My to-do list is long, very long after such a nice break away from home but that's okay, we are enjoying a beautiful spring day here in Chicago, the birds are singing, the windows are open and the laundry is drying... it's good to be home! Before I catch up, I'd like to share a few sneaks of the three Sympathy cards I have in this publication...

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Hello dear Friends and welcome to another edition of alexandra's Sunday scrapbook. As some of you may already know, one of my favorite types of scrapbooking is preserving the everyday moment of our family. This is what motivates me to keep two types of Project Life albums and for both I love to incorporate various techniques of stamping. Today, I'd like to share WEEK14 of my Project Life and see how I've used three different collections of stamps from Penny Black Inc. (Roman Surround #40-201 - Tweet Tweet #30-156 - Indian Wheel #40-202)

and in the picture below, you probably recognize the same card as in the previous post. (Gelato splatters and stamping) When I build a page like this, the placing of each card often changes several times. The inspiration came from that 4x6 picture on which one can read "WEEK14".

I also used the other slapstick on a piece of kraft paper to create a soft background (left) and the bird from the Tweet Tweet set to accent the card placed on the right.
J'ai utilisé l'autre tampon de fond avec de l'encre sépia sur un morceau de papier kraft (carte à gauche) et utilisé un petit oiseau de la planche Tweet Tweet pour accentuer la carte blanche (à droite).

Here is a closer look at the other two cards and how I chose to pair them in the end.
Voici un gros plan sur les autres cartes tamponnées avec leur placement final.

and now, I have a little guessing game for you. All of these pictures were taken yesterday and the day before. Can you guess in what town we were?
je vous propose une petite devinette, certainement un peu trop facile pour vous d'ailleurs...toutes les photos ci-dessous ont été prises hier et avant hier...mais dans quelle ville?

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Maybe the most amazing thing about Paris is its richness. Culturally speaking, I don't know any other city that offers that much to see, hear, eat, drink... In one afternoon one can see an exhibit or two, walk anywhere, eat the best bread in the world, learn about the history, watch the boats go by on the Seine and savor an ice-cream cone while listening to Notre-Dame's new bells.

...before heading to the Palais de Tokyo where the exhibit on Keith Haring had just opened.
...avant de redescendre vers le Palais de Tokyo pour aller voir l'expo sur Keith Haring.

We really enjoyed learning more about the artist. He was born the same year as my husband so it was very interesting to listen to his perspective on certain events that shaped the second part of the twentieth century.

When we were finished, we lingered a little longer at the Museum's Café. The sun came out, Lily and I talked about the exhibit, about what she understood and the reason it was called "The Political Line". I asked her to try to draw "à la Keith Haring", to use simple shapes to communicate a personal opinion. She hesitated at first and then didn't seem to be able to stop...

we walked more, a lot more in fact, along the river... we stopped on l'île Saint Louis for an ice-cream cone...
nous avons marché, beaucoup marché, le long de la Seine, jusqu'à l'île Saint Louis... avec pour ultime récompense, un cornet de glace...

...and looped around the back of Notre-Dame. We hadn't seen her yet since her major cleaning up so it was nice to approach her from behind. By that time, the sky was bright blue. Would you have guessed it was 7 PM by looking at the pictures? The bells rang, we stood there, taking it all in... it was another day in Paris.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Hello dear Friends! Twenty years ago, Michel, my great-uncle who had married my parents and baptized every baby in the family, married us in a small church built in the XIVth century in Burgundy. Fast forward the tape, three babies, two of whom are adults now, three countries of residence, many moves, cars, trips, cries, tears, kisses, laughters and here we are, in Paris, on a beautiful sunny day...

we walked through the crowded Jardin du Luxembourg, a place forever associated with my early childhood and teenage years since I went to school next door...
nous nous sommes promenés au Lucco, un lieu chargé de doux souvenirs de l'enfance et l'adolescence...

at midnight, when we came down, it was as if the Iron Lady had worn her pretty dress just for us. Thankful for what has been given to us and ready for a new chapter, we are looking to the future with an opened heart...

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Hello dear Friends! Usually, each week-end is dedicated to a scrap project with Penny Black Inc. but since I'm still on the road, I'm sharing a card instead. I used the adorable Penny Black Inc. Tutu Sweet #30-154.

I couldn't help but think of my own little ballerina who had the exact same pose when she started Ballet...
J'ai beaucoup pensé à notre danseuse qui adoptait exactement la même pose lorsqu'elle débuta la danse il y a de cela déjà plusieurs années...

My main goal for this card was to convey an idea of softness so I used Faber-Castell's Gelatos and really diluted each color. I love the versatility of these Gelatos. They can be just as intense in color as they are soft...

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Hello dear Friends! One of the pleasures of traveling for me is keeping a travel journal. Today, I'd like to share with you two travel journals. The first one is my almost ten year old Gallianne Lily's and was prepared before leaving home. The second one is mine and is a simple note book that required no prep work.

We make the time to write entries every day or every other day. It can be a drawing, a couple of sentences or a whole page...
Nous faisons en sorte de complèter le cahier chaque jour ou tous les deux jours. Parfois, Lily fait juste un dessin, parfois c'est toute une page...

☆☆☆

The second journal is a simple notebook. I take some notes around what we have done and seen. I leave room for the pictures I will print and add once I'm back home and I glue/tape all kinds of memorabilia...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Hello dear Friends! Feathers have been hip for a while now. We see them popping everywhere and in all kinds of ways, as background papers, accents or stamps.
Bonjour chères Scropines! Depuis un moment, on voit des plumes partout, tissus, papiers, tampons...

Artémio came up with a beautiful set of feathers (réf.10001192). I used one of them and coupled it with papers from Color Conspiracy (Street) which made me think of a Navajo cover.